The time has come for Michael Malone to talk with his stars about rest.

The Nuggets’ 117-112 win over the Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday secured a top-four finish in the Western Conference and home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Nuggets president Tim Connelly shared with Malone after the game that the Nuggets became the only franchise in the West to earn that right the last three seasons.

“I just think that’s a tremendous accomplishment, and our players and our coaches and our trainers and everybody deserves so much credit, because that’s not easy to do,” Malone said. “We’ll look at these last three games — we have a back-to-back coming up — (and) try to really limit guys’ playing (time), maybe sit them out a game or two. … The last thing we want is anybody getting hurt going into the postseason.”

No player is more responsible for that run of success than Nikola Jokic, who bolstered his case as the league’s Most Valuable Player with 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in Charlotte. Jokic has played in every game this season but wasn’t sure how he will handle road games against the Timberwolves, Pistons and Trail Blazers before the playoffs.

“I was really kind of wanting to play every game as long as I’m healthy, but I mean, everybody’s talking to me, so I’m going to think about it. I really don’t know,” Jokic said.

“My goal is to play every game.”

It’s something coach and star will talk about before a back-to-back at Minnesota and Detroit on Thursday and Friday.

“That’s something that we’ll continue to look at,” Malone said. “On one hand, I truly respect the hell out of Nikola. He has this immense amount of pride that he wants to play every night, but we also have to be smart — not only for Nikola but for our team. We have already sustained enough injuries. We don’t need the MVP — the clear-cut MVP — to have any injuries going into the postseason.”

While Jokic has been at the core of everything the Nuggets accomplished the last few seasons, Michael Porter Jr. has elevated his play, especially in the weeks since Jamal Murray’s season-ending injury, to help Denver maintain its playoff position. He matched Jokic’s 30 points Tuesday and added six rebounds.

“He’s going harder than any of us, hasn’t missed a game all year,” Porter said of Jokic. “So if he’s not resting, I’m definitely not resting.”

One person who will definitely be getting limited minutes is Monte Morris, who returned in a reserve role after missing nearly a month with a hamstring strain. Morris followed the plan, playing all 10 of his minutes in the first half and finishing with five points and a couple of assists.

“I’m just going to use these to get in rhythm. (I’ll) probably be at like 10 or 15 minutes the next three games or so,” Morris said. “These games really don’t matter. I’ve played at a high level in the playoffs the last few years. So I know what to expect, and I’m just ready for that time to come.”

Denver’s stars looked likely to get a head start on their rest and recovery after the Nuggets led by as many as 21 in the first quarter. A poor stretch from the second unit to close the first quarter and start the second had the advantage down to five when the starting group returned midway through the second quarter. Denver led by just three at halftime and had to survive Devonte’ Graham’s 19-point fourth quarter — part of his game-high 31 points — to secure home-court advantage and start thinking about some rest.

“For me, it’s a mix because you want to stay in rhythm, too. So I know we get like a week off after the season, so I don’t see a big need to rest right now, but you know, it’s up to them,” Porter said. “If they want to try to avoid some crazy injury or something before the playoffs then that’s cool, but I don’t really feel a need, body wise, to rest.”

“We’ll see what’s best for the team and what’s best for me,” Jokic added.